Improvement in fences



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLON E. EASTON, OF CEDARVILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT -IN FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,605. dated October 7, 1862.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CHARLoN E. EAsToN, of Cedarville, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented a certain Improvement in Fences, the construction and operation of which I have described in the iollowing speciicatio'n, and illustrated in its accompanying drawings, With sufficient clearness to enable competent and skillful workmen in the arts to which it pertains or ismost nearly allied to make and use my invention.

My said invention consists in the combination, with panels inclined alternately in opposite directions, of stakes and riders, as hereinafter set forth, when constructed and arranged in the manner described, and is represented in the accompanying drawings, as follows:

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of myimproved fence. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section. Fig. 3 is alike section, showing the position of the parts in the next panel as alternate to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is also a vertical transverse section of a part of the fence, showing the mode ofjoining the panels.

land 2 are the end posts of the panels, to which the ends of the boards 3 are attached. The panels are further strengthened by the posts 4, placed in the middle of each panel. The boards are nailed or otherwise firmly attached to these posts. The panels are united at the ends by a pin, 5, which extends through the top of both of the contiguous posts of tw'o adjoining panels, as shown in Fig. 4. The feet of these posts rest upon the ground, and may be spread, or, in other words, the panels inclined more or less, as `the required stability of the fence and other circumstances may render convenient or desirable. These panels are supported and astability given them by driving stakes 5 into the ground at the middle of each panel,the stake which is placed .upon the opposite side of the fence from the post being so placed as to cover it; or, in other words, immediately opposite. Riders 6 are then laid into the crotch formed by the crossing of the stakes 5, and these wedging firmly in between the stakes bind the fence firmly in position.

It will be obvious from an inspection of the parts that in this way a fence with inclined panels can be made capable of resisting a powerful gale of Wind, the inclination of the pan els, and thereby of the posts, furnishing a base of sufficient breadth, while the stakes and riders prevent the fence from being moved laterally, or raised up or collapsed.

I am aware that stakes and riders have been used before, both in connection with the common rail fence, and also With a straight upright fence, and these I do not claim; but when they are combined with the inclined panels in the manner described a much more serviceable result is obtained. In the case of the straight fence with upright panels the leverage of the force of a squall upon the resistance of the stake is much more severe and disadvantageous than in my arrangement, insomuch as the axis of rotation is in a central position, instead-of being, as in mine, at a considerable distance on the side opposite to the wind from the center. In the common zigzag rail fence it is true that its bases are not all in the same plane or line; but while this fence resists a direct wind with tolerable force its behavior is not as favorable in the action of a soluall acting obliquely upon it say, for example, at an angle of forty-five degrees to the general line of fenceas in such a case the force acts in such a direction that nei-ther the body of the fence nor the stakes, nor both, in their combination, can adequately resist its effect, and while each alternate panel of such fence is fully exposed to the utmost fury of the storm, thereby enabling the wind to exert the most forcible action that it can in any case exert upon such a fence, the power of resistance is then, as before stated, unavailable by the direction in which its resista-nce is required, and though better than no support is yet entirely inadequate to resist the effect of a high Wind. In mine, however, under such circumstances, the action of the Wind is oblique, and therefore feeble, while the direction is such as to give sufficient strength. It will be also observed that my arrangement furnishes the means of making a straight board fence which is sufficientlyr stable without the expense of digging postholes, or the trouble caused by the breaking of the posts from decay after having been set into the earth.

I am also aware that various fences have been constructed with panels inclined in opposite directions, so as to brace each other, and thereby secure a measure of stability; but

this, not combined with the stakes and riders, by no means realizes the advantage of my invention, in which the panels are bound down by the combined effect of the stakes and riders, as before set forth, the advantages of which arrangement have been already stated. I do do not claim making the fence with panels inclined toward eachother as my invention.

I am also aware that in fences with panels inclined toward each other the end posts have been extended above the junction, and rails have been framed into these extended portionsof the posts, or otherwise supported above. This does not, however, bind the fence to the ground, or .prevent its rotation, as in mine, and the resistance and effect are entirely dii'erent. I do not claim placing a rail above the juncture of the posts as my invention, but confine my claim strictly to the combination and arrangement of the parts specified, by which the result stated is produced.

My fence may be readily removed by removing the riders, drawing the stakes, and removing the pins which connect the panels, and as easily set up again in a new position.

It is cheap and durable, stable and efficient, and its construction is such that any farmer of reasonable capacity may build it.

Having described my said invention, I claim as my improvement- The combination of the stakes andthe riders With the panels inclined laterally in opposite directions, as described, when the parts are constructed and arranged in reference to each other, substantially as set forth-that is to say, the stakes being independent of or not attached to the panels forming the lower part of the fence, and the stakes and riders being sol arranged that the latter shall meet over the middle of each panelinstead of at the ends, the riders not being attached-t0 the stakes, but pressing by their weight into the angle between them to bind the stakes, and thereby the fence, in position.

CHARLON E. EASTON. A

Vitnesses:

A. CRONKHITE, W. H. WHEELER, M. E. EAsToN. 

